A Blazing Sun
by LazuliEmbassy
Summary: After the events at Camp Everfree, Twilight Sparkle is still adjusting to her new life. But sometimes things from the past can rise up again, and the true reality of what happened to Sunset Shimmer's human counterpart will emerge...
1. The Party

Twilight Sparkle walked down the road, still staring at the map on her phone, before staring around the place.

She was just a normal high-schooler living a normal life - unless you counted being overcome by a force that was too powerful for you to understand and for science to make sense of, and almost destroying the entire universe, including one that was dominated by sentient talking ponies.

Yeah...it still haunted her from time to time. Heck, she even threw her old magic-absorbing pendant away when she was given it back, in case something like that ever happened again...in case something like _her_ ever got loose.

Ever since, she had been tormented by nightmares, overcome them and gained new powers in the process...

But still, things weren't always that bad.

She had actually made a few friends - both at Crystal Prep and Canterlot High - but the latter was the school she chose to stay with, and she couldn't feel any more welcome. And after a few awkward introductions (including her counterpart from said pony universe who is a magical princess who saved the world multiple times) and getting used to her new school, here she was, going to her first party.

The party in question was a mystery - rumours around the neighbourhood said it was just a birthday party or even a movie night, but eventually the true purpose of it was forgotten over time. Really, the only thing that was confirmed was that it took place at a fellow student named Flash Sentry's house.

And as she got to the entrance of it, she might as well have entered a zoo.

People were all over the place, some hanging out in a swimming pool nearby, or talking near the entrance. The inside of the house was quite spacious, but still modest - several people had already began to do whatever inside, be it making snacks, passing out on the floor, or stumbling around wildly in the pure thrill of the moment.

To be honest, Twilight was wondering if she should have left the place altogether - she was pretty sure the entire _neighbourhood_ had decided to gather here. And after all, she was still getting used to having friends... she didn't even know most of these people.

Needless to say, the idea of even talking to them was thrown out the window when a girl took a running start and ended up breaking a coffee table in _half_.

That made Twilight want to leave this place even more, until she saw a familar figure out of the corner of her eye - Pinkie Pie herself. It was no surprise that the city's most renowned party planner would be at this party, considering how talked about it was. And she didn't even have to think, for the hyper girl was right next to her in a second.

"Hiya, Twilight!" She grinned, somehow almost more hyper than usual. "Wow, this party's great, huh? I even helped Flash with some of the balloons and decorations! And hey, there's also a frosted cake made by yours truly!"

"Uh, yeah..." Twilight straightened her glasses, still taking in the scene before her eyes. Nearby, an elderly woman walked up to one of the radios where loud music was playing and began to enthusiastically move to the beat. Oddly enough, she seemed to be enjoying herself more than anyone else at the party. "You're really, uh... _passionate_ about what you do, huh?"

"Yep! It's great to see the _smiles_ on everyone's faces..." she trailed off, a look of longing in her eyes, before she shook her head and carried on. "By the way, you should really try the punch! I heard it tastes like blueberries or something...mmm..." a smile spread over her face as she imagined the taste, before she nodded and zipped off; presumably to get some punch, leaving Twilight just as lonely as she had been before the conversation had even started.

She had never been to a party before - at least, not one this big - and nobody she knew was in sight. Growing up, she had never really made friends, and most of her time at Crystal Prep didn't help either - the people there either didn't care when she talked, just walked away, or lashed out at her, not wanting her to 'waste their time'. And now, the situation she was in was almost a nightmare - Pinkie Pie was lost among the swarm of party-goers and unrecognisable faces, and it would probably take more than an hour to find her if she tried to. Sure, she could shout, but most of her time at Crystal Prep in addition to her childhood told her that somebody would probably scream at her if she did. She didn't want to anger anyone who might have drank maybe just a little too much alcohol.

And just as it seemed like things were hopeless, she saw _her._

A girl had just entered the room - she had bright red and yellow-coloured hair, tied up in a ponytail instead of the usual way she had seen her wearing it. Her blue eyes nervously darted around the room, almost just as shocked as Twilight was, and she had a mole on her left cheek. She wore a crimson polo shirt and dark jeans, along with some red sneakers; on her wrist was a strange bracelet with a multi-coloured gemstone inside of it.

The girl kept glancing at the bracelet every few seconds, examining the gemstone inside it before going back to standing there, awkwardly glancing around the room in a similar manner to that of Twilight.

Twilight instantly recognised this girl the moment she saw her - Sunset Shimmer, the person who had freed her from being overcome by dark magic...the person who had become her first friend.

"Sunset!" She gasped, running over to the girl, a wide grin on her face. "I didn't expect _you_ to come here!"

The girl seemed lost in thought, before she snapped out of it and noticed Twilight, almost seeming confused.

Squinting through the bright lights of the party, she glanced at her up and down, before waving awkwardly. "Uh, hey... _you_. Do you need anything, or any help? Because I just got here, and..."

"What? No, Sunset, I was just saying, I didn't expect you to come here. I didn't really think you'd want to come to one of these things..." Twilight straightened her glasses, but the girl only stood there in silence, a confused expression on her face.

The two of them just stood there, before Sunset's eyes widened and she glanced back at the girl, stepping back a little as her eyes darted in all directions. She seemed weirded out by the girl who somehow knew her name and was acting like they were friends. "Uh...do I know you? Did...did I ever meet someone like you while I was drunk or anything? Because I really don't know..."

"What?" Twilight asked, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Sunset, it's _me_. You didn't have too many drinks, did you?"

"N-No, I just got here, the whole _neighbourhood_ was talking about it, I..." 'Sunset' took more steps back as she got more afraid, almost gripping her bracelet in fear as it began to glow a little. "I don't understand what you're talking about, I don't...maybe you've got the wrong person, I...I have to go!"

Twilight barely had time to register this before the girl ran away, pushing past the crowd as her bracelet began to glow even more, covering the illuminated gemstone as she ran.

"Hey, wait!" Twilight yelled after her, giving chase as they both ran out of the house. Pinkie Pie was drowning herself in punch, just reaching to grab another cup before Twilight and Sunset came charging past, knocking her over in the process. Dazed, she got up and looked in the direction where they had just ran, before shrugging and going back to whatever she was doing.

Twilight ran after the girl, who seemed to be somehow faster than ever. What had she done wrong? Why was Sunset acting so strange? Even as she ran after Sunset, the girl clutching her bracelet so hard it would probably leave a mark afterwards, she pondered this. Did magic get to her? Had someone erased her memory?

Then, the realisation hit her. If she had a pony counterpart from another world, then who was to say that _Sunset_ didn't have one?

"Leave me _alone_!" Sunset cried as the night sky loomed above them, her bracelet emitting an even stronger glow. "What do you _even_ want from me?"

Twilight was so stunned that she couldn't give an answer, but then almost stopped in her tracks as the bracelet began to glow even more, Sunset's breathing getting more laboured, and a yellow vein slowly creeping up her arm as a flash of light engulfed them both.

Twilight shielded her eyes as the blast got bigger, before spreading into the sky and exploding in a flash of light...leavig _nothing._

The girl looked around the place, seeing nothing at all, Sunset having gone with the flash of light.

She just stood there, stunned as the reality of what had just happened hit her.

Sunset had a counterpart. But even worse, that counterpart had _Equestrian magic_.


	2. what do you see?

_I don't know._

 _I don't know._

 _I don't know._

 _Who are you?_

 _Do I know you?_

 _Are you that person I've been having the dreams about?_

 _Are you the person I want to be?_

 _Are you the person who will save me?_

 _Save me._

 _Save me._

 _Save me before I lose my mind._

 _Save me before I give in._

 _Save me before I succumb to the darkness._

 _Save me before **she** gets out._

 _I want to protect you._

 _I want to protect them._

 _Don't you?_

 _Do you feel the same way that I do_?

 _I don't know how this happened._

 _I just want to be free._

 _But that doesn't matter now._

 _It doesn't._

 _It's time for you to be a hero._

 _Be a hero._

 _Be a hero before I change my mind._

 _Be a hero before I see the true power of magic._

 _Be a hero because I can't take it any longer._

 _They'll be out soon._

 _Remember, be a hero before it's too late._

 _Be a hero._

 _Be a hero._

 _££¥/bE A hErO~}}\\}[i*£!_

huh

why did you even bother trying to stop it?

dummy

this world was doomed the moment she stole the crown

she has a connection to this world

she has a connection to you

they all do

laughter

loyalty

honesty

kindness

generosity

magic

and empathy

they're not the only ones connected to the elements of the other world

the sun sets

a life will fade

something familiar emerges

tell me, sunset

what do you see?


	3. The Sun Rises

Sunset Shimmer (the one from the pony world) sat up in bed, a familiar feeling of empathy leaving her. The dream she had just had was...more than strange, to say the least.

All she remembered was two people talking...one of them sounded familiar, but the other she couldn't make out. And yet, she felt something else she couldn't describe...like an amplified feeling of dread...

She was just thinking about this when something trickled down her cheek. Hesitantly, she felt her face, pulling her hand away to reveal... _tears_?

"What the..." she muttered, quickly wiping them with her blanket, and getting dressed; it was certainly a weird way to start a Sunday morning.

Walking down the stairs of her house in her usual outfit, she tiredly opened the fridge, retrieving a leftover pizza box from yesterday night; apparently there was some huge party the entire neighbourhood had been talking about, but she hadn't bothered to come; the booming of music in the distance could be heard even here, and she didn't even want to know what shenanigans were going on in there.

She was just about to relax and enjoy her pizza when someone knocked on her door, making her groan in response.

"Coming!" she half-heartedly yelled, dragging herself over to the door and opening it, to see Twilight, who almost jumped out of her skin upon seeing her.

"...Twilight?" she squinted through the sunlight, not even expecting her to arrive this early in the morning. "Why are you even _here_ at this time?"

"Sunset...I..." she trailed off, before gulping and carrying on. "Did you go to the party last night? The one at Flash Sentry's house?"

"Uh...no?" Sunset asked, while Twilight's eyes widened. "Why?"

"So that _wasn't_ you..." Twilight whispered, her fears ultimately confirmed.

"What-what do you mean?" Sunset stepped closer to her, confused by all this.

"Sunset, you know how I have a counterpart from another dimension who's a pony princess?" Twilight asked, almost embarrassed by how crazy it sounded.

"Wait...don't tell me you..." Sunset trailed off, more fear on her face. "Was there a person there that looked just like me?"

"Yeah, you have a counterpart too - but, that's the problem: she has _Equestrian_ _magic_."

"Go get the others," Sunset said, a look of horror on her face as her **eyes** widened. Twilight couldn't help but think back to the Friendship Games - would it be something like Midnight Sparkle all over again? "We have to stop her before it's too late."

Twilight nodded, pulling out her phone.

* * *

 **~Sunset's House - A few minutes later~**

* * *

"E-Equestrian magic?" Rarity almost dropped the cup of tea in her hands, everyone around her having similar looks on their faces.

"Yes...it's not even been a month yet and we already have a problem...from my own counterpart, no less." Sunset said, a strange feeling erupting from inside her. "I've been having weird dreams too...it feels familiar, but I don't remember any experiences from it happening in the real world...it's certainly not something we've ever dealt with before." The others also seemed to glower at this, Twilight noticing and becoming confused.

"Weird dreams..." Twilight whispered, thinking back to the countless nightmares she had about Midnight Sparkle... "You haven't been having any problems, or trouble, have you? I mean, I thought you were past the whole demon thing...no offense."

"None taken...in all honesty, I thought that too..." Sunset replied, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "But...I know who she is."

"W-What?" Twilight gasped, while Sunset only stared down at her hands. "You...you know her?"

"We _all_ do," Fluttershy still stared down at her cup of tea, deep in thought, before staring back at Twilight. "She...she used to be a student at _Canterlot High_. We didn't really know her and nobody ever talked to her...and she moved away one day. Things went on as usual, then... before 'she' suddenly came back, meaner than before."

Sunset took that as incentive to continue, and sighed. "When I came through the portal to this world, it took a while to get used to. I even had to live on the road for a few days...until I saw Canterlot High and decided to start anew in there. Everyone was looking at me strangely, and I found out about my other counterpart in a matter of seconds...so I decided to take advantage of it. Nobody knew the difference before Princess Twilight came along."

"But...then _why_ would she have Equestrian magic?" Twilight cried, almost jumping out of her seat. "She didn't have it before, and I'm sure that no more magic... _got loose_ after Midnight Sparkle appeared..."

Everyone sat there in silence, pondering this for a moment, before Applejack remembered something and spoke.

"Do y'all remember when the Dazzlings attacked? Didn't Twilight say that some of her magic had been left in _this world_ too?"

Everyone froze at that, processing this, before Twilight thought back to everything she had experienced...when Midnight Sparkle had attacked, the memories were blurry since she was overwhelmed by the magic...but didn't she fire one of her rifts at the _portal_?

Instantly, she covered her mouth, petrified at this revelation. She thought she had been done with Midnight Sparkle...but the consequences were coming back to haunt her.

Everyone else had similar looks on their faces, before Sunset noticed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Twilight, you okay?" Twilight just sat there, rooted to the spot, scared out of her wits, before she snapped back to reality and quickly recomposed herself.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine. It's just that...I'm not sure what we should do now."

* * *

 **~?~**

* * *

Sunset's grip tightened on her bracelet, the gemstone glowing even brighter as she tried to hold the dark magic back from escaping.

 _What's the point of resisting? You want to find the person who caused all this and stole your identity, don't you?_

"Don't...don't do this...I _want_ to get revenge, but not like this..."

 _Stop squirming; it'll only make this longer._

The girl fixed her gaze on the bracelet, trying desperately to pull it off but it wouldn't budge. Trying her hardest to fight back the darkness that was coursing through her, she considered her options; first of all, this new bracelet she had suddenly gotten had incredible power. She could only dream of all the abilities she could have with it, sending the person who had stolen her name, caused all this magic in the first place and had probably given her a terrible reputation to her doom. But on the other hand, she didn't want to; nobody deserved this, and yet, she felt something that she had never felt before; like empathy, but more _powerful_ than that.

Two warring sides were battling for glory, vengeance and something more - but still, only one cried out to her the louder.

"Alright then," she said to herself, as well as the vessel of the dark magic inside of her that kept torturing her to no end, rhe whites of her eyes turning pure black in a manner similar to that of her pony counterpart's demon form. "I accept."

Slowly, the yellow vein that was spreading up her arm turned black, pulsing with dark energy, the voice of the power combined with her own ringing out into the darkness:

"Let's show them all the **true** power of empathy."


End file.
